Normally, I would talk at great length about this, and offer examples and application; but at least for now, just think about it. Think about what this might mean, and if you have any thoughts you'd like to share, just leave a comment.
Sometimes, I feel like we need something like this article [link] to understand our Christian brothers.
Have you ever been in a situation where you just wanted God to speak directly to you? We’ve all been there, I think. We’ve heard about God speaking to people and their lives changing dramatically. From Abraham to Paul, God’s done a lot of talking to His people down here on earth; don’t you wish you could have God speak to you, just once? Doesn’t your heart scream for that burning bush experience where you know that you’re standing on holy ground, and you get your much-needed Q&A session with God?
I know I’ve wished for these things many times in my short life. I’ve wanted answers, guidance, direction, truth…but more often than not, I don’t find them. Didn’t the Bible say “seek and ye shall find?” Obviously, there’s some problem with my seeking, or my interpretation of that phrase is totally off base.
I’ve been seriously considering that I might be called to foreign missions. I grew up as a missionary kid, decided a few years ago I wasn’t going to work for as little money as my dad, and have now come full circle to wanting to be a missionary like my dad. Funny how life works. Anyway, I’ve often been known to dive into a plan head first without really making sure it’s a good, working plan. I was determined that this time would be different; this time, I was going to be sure that what I was going to do with my life was God’s will. I wanted a word from God, a simple yes or no.
I got that word, I think. In January, a speaker at a conference I attended was talking about missions. He was talking about being sure of your calling, and how some people will expect you to be sure of everything. He acted out a conversation between someone who felt called to missions and someone inquiring and causing doubt. It went something like this:
“So, you think you’re called to missions.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Well, where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know.”
“How are you going to get there?”
“I don’t know.”
“When are you going to do this?”
“I don’t know.”
It went on that way for a few more questions, and ended with the speaker saying that I didn’t have to know these things. All I had to know was that I was going with Christ. That’s all that mattered. That was my confirmation: I was called to missions.
You might wonder how this could be such sure confirmation. It really started a few weeks before the conference, with a conversation I had in the car one day with my mom. It went something like the conversation above. My mom kept asking questions, and I said “I don’t know.” That left me with a lot of doubts about my calling -- until the conference. When the speaker stood on stage and recited exactly the conversation my mom and I had had, I was absolutely stunned.
A few friends who I’d talked about the conversation to actually noticed it too, and thought of me. Not only was it confirmation of my call, but God orchestrated it so as to confirm the confirmation through my friends’ witness. That was a beautiful answer to prayer, and a wonderful dose of much-needed guidance.
So you might think that now I have the formula to hearing from God. I do, but it has little to do with my conference experience. Before I tell you how you can easily hear from God whenever you want, let me tell you another story about someone who heard from God.
Christianity Today recently published an article called “My Conversation with God” about an anonymous professor who reportedly dialogued with the Creator of the universe. Apparently, God told the man to donate the royalties from a book he published to a needy student at his college. Sounds like a great thing to hear from God! Don’t you wish you could get such direct instruction from your Creator? This professor’s life was change by it. He said, “For years I’ve taught that God still speaks, but I couldn’t testify to it personally.” What an amazing experience!
Obviously, if anyone knows how one should go about hearing from God, it should be someone who actually carried on a conversation with Him! Unfortunately, the professor writes, “I can't spin out a fancy theological formula for God's guidance and provision.”
That’s rather disappointing, but fortunately I can spin out a very simple practical formula for God’s guidance and provision. However, I like suspense, so I’m going to tell you about one last article before I reveal to you the profound, earth-shattering answer to this plaguing question.
This last article is by someone you’ve almost certainly heard of before. John Piper wrote recently about the morning he heard the voice of God. This is the article where I discovered the amazing method to hear the voice of God, guaranteed!
Pastor John tells about how one morning, he woke up when no one else was up, and while praying and thinking heard God speak several things directly to him. God said to John Piper, “Come and see what I have done. I am awesome in my deeds toward the children of man. I turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did they rejoice in me -- who rules by my might forever. I keep watch on the nations -- let not the rebellious exalt themselves.” While hearing these things, Reverend Piper had amazing visions of the awesome works of God, and felt deeply the instructions of the Lord.
Then, he revealed the secret to how we all can hear from God the same way he did. It’s so beautifully simple, so obvious, and yet so few Christians seem to know about it. Are you ready to hear it?
The most reliable way to hear from God is by reading the Bible. Those things John Piper heard? They were straight out of Psalm 166! They weren’t some unexplainable force from deep within John Piper’s being -- they were words that were written thousands of years ago in a completely different setting. Yet John Piper, because God has put the Holy Spirit in him, can read those words and glorify God with shear amazement and joy.
Now maybe you’re thinking, “What’s his secret? How come he has these profound Scripture experiences and I just see words on a page? How can I feel the way John Piper feels?” It probably has something to do with the way he reads the Bible, and I don’t mean some textbook method. I mean the intent, the attitude that he takes when he picks up God’s Word.
See, the reason we don’t get much out of the Bible sometimes isn’t because the Scripture is inadequate -- its because our hearts are inadequate. Times when I’ve gone to Scripture with shallow intents and small expectations, I’ve gotten very, very little out of it. It’s times when I come to Scripture broken, open, and falling humbly at the feet of the Word that I truly receive messages from God.
The answer to this, of course, is the answer to all our problems on this earth: repent and believe. I have to repent of my small faith and small heart, of my callousness towards God, and of my apathy towards His Word. I must repent of my selfish approach to the Scripture, and of my pride that keeps me from understanding. I must repent of my efforts to understand God’s Word while my eyes are shut against His Gospel. I must believe that there is power in His Word, as He’s said there is, and that He really can and really does speak to me through it. The rest, God will do.
Still want to hear from God? Repent, believe, and read.
Does anybody actually read this blog anymore? I noticed the last entry got zero comments.
If you do read this blog, and like this blog, let me know. I like comments.
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